Within 2 hours of experiencing chest pain or collapsing, intervention is the best opportunity to save someone suffering from an acute myocardial infarction.
The “Golden Time” to Save Myocardial Infarction Patients
Acute myocardial infarction is a critical and life-threatening condition. According to Associate Professor Pham Manh Hung, Secretary General of the Vietnam Cardiology Association, time is life when it comes to acute myocardial infarction. Recent global studies indicate that the best timing for intervention after a patient experiences chest pain or collapses is under 2 hours, which correlates with the highest survival rates.
Only nearly 2% of myocardial infarction patients arrive early within this 2-hour window.
Statistics from the National Heart Institute (Hanoi) show the concerning reality that only about 2% of myocardial infarction patients arrive early within the “golden time”. Approximately 40% of patients reach the hospital within 12 hours; the remainder arrive too late, resulting in many cases being untreatable or leaving severe complications.
“Early cardiovascular intervention and balloon angioplasty are top recommendations, as they save lives. If a patient experiences chest pain due to myocardial infarction and arrives at the hospital after 12 hours, it is considered too late. Late intervention can lead to heart tissue death; even if the patient survives, they are likely to face complications such as heart failure, arrhythmias, and diminished quality of life,” Professor Hung stated.
The primary symptom of the condition is typical angina: Pain feels like a tight grip behind the sternum or in the heart area, radiating to the left shoulder and the inner side of the left arm, extending to the ring finger and little finger. The pain often appears suddenly, lasts longer than 30 minutes, and may be accompanied by sweating and significant shortness of breath. Additionally, some patients may experience little or no pain (silent myocardial infarction).
When experiencing chest pain as described, patients should immediately stop all activities and work, lie down, and use sublingual nitroglycerin if they have a prior diagnosis of coronary artery disease. If chest pain does not subside after 10-30 minutes, especially after taking sublingual nitroglycerin, immediate emergency medical attention is required.
Individuals at High Risk for Myocardial Infarction
According to Dr. Vu Hoang Vu, Head of the Interventional Cardiology Department (University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City), the groups at high risk for myocardial infarction include:
- Individuals with a family history of cardiovascular disease;
- Older adults (men over 45 years, women over 55 years) have a higher risk of myocardial infarction;
- Individuals who smoke (smoking is a risk factor for myocardial infarction);
- People with conditions such as hypertension; obesity; dyslipidemia; diabetes;
- Individuals with a sedentary lifestyle.
- Additionally, experts note that men are at a higher risk of myocardial infarction compared to women.
Preventing Myocardial Infarction
Experts recommend that to prevent myocardial infarction, individuals must control risk factors associated with the disease. For example:
- Avoid smoking tobacco, shisha, and e-cigarettes.
- Stay away from secondhand smoke.
- Maintain a healthy weight; lose weight if overweight or obese.
- Exercise regularly.
- Adopt a balanced diet; increase the intake of vegetables, fruits, and fish; limit excessive consumption of salt, added sugars, fats, and organ meats.
- Reduce stress.
- Have regular health check-ups to monitor blood pressure, blood sugar, lipid levels, uric acid, etc.
- Effectively manage chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.
There are drugs to treat myocardial infarction and stroke
